Genealogy, local history and historical research in New England and other interesting places. Nutfield was the former land grant ................................. that is now the towns of Londonderry, Derry and Windham, New Hampshire.

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Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Tombstone Tuesday ~ Grandmother and Granddaughter, died in a fire, 1704, Portsmouth, New Hampshire

This tombstone was photographed at the Point of Graves in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. I saw that both the woman and the infant died at nearly the same time, but had different names. I knew there must be a good story behind this carving...

HERE LYES ELIZABETH

YE BODY OF MRS DAUR TO YE

ELIZABETH REVEREND MR

ELATSON NATHANIEL &

SARAH ROGERS

AGED 45 YEARS AGED 17 MONTHS

DIED IANRY DIED OCTBR ye

1704 30 1704

According to the book Historic Burial Grounds of the New Hampshire Seacoast by Glenn A. Knoblock, "Elizabeth Elatson and Sarah Rogers, 1704, Point of Graves, Portsmouth. Likely the work of William Muford [A Boston Quaker stonecarver], this gravestone has a sad tale to tell. On October 30, 1704, Rev. Nathaniel Roger's house caught fire in the middle of the night. Mrs. Roger's mother, Elizabeth Elatson, tried to save her granddaughter, Sarah. But it was not to be. Little Sarah died that night. Mrs. Elatson survived the fire, but died of her injuries in January."

If you are wondering how the fire could be in October 1704, and Mrs. Elatson died just a few months later in January 1704, you have to remember the Julian calendar was still being used in the British colonies at this time. The new year did not take place until March. Grandmother Elizabeth Elatson died in January 1704/05 using double dating.

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Author of the Nutfield Genealogy blog and occasional genealogy speaker. My family research includes Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine, with a smattering of Nova Scotia. Please contact me if you see your ancestors on this blog. I would love to share information. I am the former secretary of the New Hampshire Mayflower Society, former President of the Londonderry Historical Society, member of the New England Historic Genealogical Society, the Mass. Society of Genealogists, The National Genealogical Society, and the New Hampshire Society of Genealogists.